Need You Now
by acaudill0068
Summary: "We tear each other down, piece by piece and… there's nothing left, Noah.  I'm gone.  You chipped me away until I was nothing and that's why we broke up.  We fought constantly and you made me hate you just as much as I made you hate me." FutureFic.


Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/N: I started writing this one-shot ages ago and I just now got around to finishing it. I really like this song and I sort of like this idea for a Puckleberry FanFic. It's not super angsty but it's not really fluff either. Hope you enjoy this.

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><p><em>Picture perfect memories, scattered all around the floor<br>Reaching for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore  
>And I wonder if I ever cross your mind<br>For me it happens all the time_

Rachel could hear her phone ringing from beside her and as she reached over to wake up the man beside her she came up empty. She opened her eyes slightly, remembering that he didn't share a bed with her anymore. She slept alone now; she had been for almost three months. She felt the tears eating up her throat again as she picked up her phone because she knew _his_ name would be scrolled across it. This had become a nightly thing. Him calling in the middle of the night just to talk. She knew she shouldn't pick up but she had never ignored his calls and she didn't plan on starting to either. As much as she hated it she wanted to hear his voice. She craved it. She needed it. She needed _him_.

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now  
>Said I wouldn't call but I've lost all control and I need you now<br>And I don't know how I can do without  
>I just need you now<em>

"Hello." She said into the phone and she could hear the noise coming over from his side of the line. He wasn't at home and she didn't have to be next to him to know that he was drunk. He tried not to slur his words but Rachel had lived with him for years; she had loved him for years and she knew him. She knew when he had been drinking and tonight was one of those nights.

"You answered." He stated like he was surprised by this.

"I always do." She fought to keep her voice even. "It's one o'clock in the morning." She whispered, standing from her bed and moving to tie her purple silk robe around her waist; the one that matched her pajamas; the one's she had bought when she had made him go shopping with her right before Christmas.

"I know." She could hear him taking a drink from whatever bottle of alcohol he had chosen for tonight. Probably Jack Daniels. That was always his go-to drink. "I know I said I would stop calling but I just… I needed to talk to you. Open your door, Rach."

She cringed when he used her nickname and then his words registered with her. He called on a regular basis but he never showed at her house. She moved towards her front door and opened it slowly before her eyes swept over her driveway and she let out a breath of relief when she didn't see his truck.

"Noah?" She searched his face.

"I walked." He told her like he could read her mind. She always hated that he could read her so well. "Can I come in?" He asked, shoving his phone back into his pocket and lifting the bottle of Jack to his lips and sighing when the alcohol slid down his throat. It helped him forget; it helped take some of the pain away.

_Another shot of whiskey, can't stop looking at the door  
>Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before<br>And I wonder if I ever cross your mind  
>For me it happens all the time<em>

She didn't say anything but stepped back and let him brush past her before shutting the front door behind him softly. He walked the familiar path to the living room and collapsed onto the couch. He looked up to find her standing the doorway. His eyes raked over her, taking in her silk pajamas which consisted of a pair of shorts and a tank top, covered by a robe. She was even wearing those purple, fuzzy slippers she liked because they kept her feet warm. Her hair wasn't brushed but it wasn't too messy, just framing her face and it made his chest tighten a little bit because he knew he would never wake up to that again.

She stared at him wide-eyed and he cleared his throat. He should at least say something, shouldn't he? He showed up on her front porch drunk and they've been broken up for three months. He's pretty sure ex-boyfriend's aren't supposed to show up in the middle of the night and just invite themselves in. She always told him that he was 24 and needed to grow up eventually. He cringed at the thought that she may say that to him again. He hated that he actually cared that much.

"What happened to us?" He asked quietly and heard her let out a breath.

She stepped further into the room, stopping behind the chair – the one he had picked out because even though it was really ugly, it was comfortable as fuck – to grip the back of it tightly.

"I mean… how…?" He searched for the right words. "We were happy, weren't we?"

"We were." She nodded, fresh tears springing up in her eyes and he hated himself because he was the one that put them there. He thought back to that night three months ago when she broke up with him. She moved across the room and perched on the edge of the couch beside him. "But…" She took a deep breath.

"I know I fucked up, Rachel, and I know I hurt you. I'm sorry, okay. I wasn't thinking." He told her.

"You apologizing doesn't make it hurt any less." She told him and dared to look over at him. "It only makes it worse." She shook her head. "We can't keep doing this."

"Rachel?"

"We tear each other down, piece by piece and… there's nothing left, Noah. I'm gone. You chipped me away until I was nothing and that's why we broke up. We fought constantly and you made me hate you just as much as I made you hate me." She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "I care about you, I do but it hurts. So much. You hurt me. You…"

"I cheated on you." He finished for her and she nodded, letting the tears spill over. "Fuck, Rachel." He grabbed her hand, and for the first time he realized just how much he had really hurt; he had broken her. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now  
>And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now<br>And I don't know how I can do without  
>I just need you now, I just need you now<em>

"I need you." He whispered.

"I know." She nodded and he moved closer to her on the couch.

"I love you, Rachel." He rested his forehead on hers and breathed in her scent. He hadn't been this close to her in months and he was going to take full advantage of her proximity. "So damn much and I don't ever want to be away from you like this."

"I can't trust you." Her voice waivered and she hated him a little less as his fingers traced patterns on the small of her back. She honestly didn't think he even realized he was doing. It just came so naturally when they were together.

"Do you love me?" He asked.

It was a legitimate question but she hated him for asking it. Her eyes screwed shut and she nodded. "I don't want to but I do."

"It was real, wasn't it?" He asked, his own voice just as vulnerable as she felt. "Me and you? We used to be happy. We had plans. I wanted to marry you. I wanted a family with you, Rachel. I wanted everything with you. We were real, weren't we?" He asked and she noddedslowly . "I still want all of that with you, Rach."

"Then why did you do it?" She asked, her voice quiet, not sure she really wanted a question.

"I don't know." He replied honestly. "I'm a fuck up, is that what you want me to tell you? That I'd do _anyfuckingthing_ to make it up to you. That I'd do anything to take it back. It didn't mean anything. Nothing. You mean something, Rachel. You mean everything. I love you, we can work this out right? Just tell me we can do this."

"Noah…" Her voice was strained, trying to fight off the sob that was threatening to erupt from her chest. She gripped his hand tightly and the tears slid down her face.

"Do you ever think about me?" He asked, his breath dancing across her cheek.

"All of the time." She told him honestly, not caring that she was letting him suck her right back into what she had taken months to crawl out of. "And it hurts, all of the time because I want to be with you so much, but I'm scared."

"I'm scared too." He whispered. "Maybe that's why I did it. Maybe we can start again. Please, Rachel. I need you…"

"I need you, too." She felt his lips brush against her forehead.

"Tell me what you're thinking." He demanded softly.

"I…" Rachel lifted her face up to meet his eyes. "I guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all." She whispered.

_Oh baby, I need you now_

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><p>AN: I'm not completely happy with the ending but I think it fits well.

Reviews?


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